A fiber optic connector is typically used to terminate an end of an optical fiber. A multi-fiber fiber optic connector is typically used to terminate multiple ends of multiple optical fibers. Such fiber optic connectors may include a ferrule (e.g., an MT ferrule). Such ferrules can be made of plastic, metal, ceramic, or a combination of plastic, metal, and/or ceramic. The ferrule holds the end or the ends of the optical fiber or the optical fibers and may be bonded to the optical fiber or the optical fibers (e.g., using epoxy). Such fiber optic connectors position the end or the ends of the optical fiber or the optical fibers relative to another fiber optic component (e.g., another fiber optic connector) in order to establish an optical signal connection with losses below a specified limit.
Certain of the multi-fiber fiber optic connectors position the ends of the multiple optical fibers in a row (i.e., a row of the fiber ends). Two of the multi-fiber fiber optic connectors can be connected together using a multi-fiber fiber optic adapter (e.g., an MPO fiber optic adapter). The multi-fiber fiber optic adapter receives and holds the two multi-fiber fiber optic connectors which can each terminate an end of a fiber optic cable. One approach to aligning a first and a second of the two multi-fiber fiber optic connectors to each other is by using a pin-in-hole approach. For example, the first multi-fiber fiber optic connector is inserted into the multi-fiber fiber optic adapter, and the second multi-fiber fiber optic connector is inserted into the multi-fiber fiber optic adapter such that the row of the fiber ends of the first multi-fiber fiber optic connector faces a corresponding row of the fiber ends of the second multi-fiber fiber optic connector. A pair of metal pins, residing along the row of the fiber ends of the first multi-fiber fiber optic connector extends outward in a direction parallel to the optical fibers of the first multi-fiber fiber optic connector. The metal pins are located and held in a first ferrule of the first multi-fiber fiber optic connector. As the second multi-fiber fiber optic connector is inserted into the multi-fiber fiber optic adapter, the pair of the metal pins is inserted into a corresponding pair of holes residing along the corresponding row of the fiber ends of the second multi-fiber fiber optic connector and thereby positions the two multi-fiber fiber optic connectors relative to each other. After the ends of the optical fibers of the first multi-fiber fiber optic connector are aligned with the ends of the optical fibers of the second multi-fiber fiber optic connector, a light signal of the optical signal connection can pass between each pair of the aligned ends of the corresponding optical fibers.
Fiber optic cables which have two, four, eight, or twelve of the optical fibers are typically terminated using multi-fiber fiber optic connectors which configure the ends of the optical fibers into a single row configuration (e.g., a single row of two, four, eight or twelve fiber ends). Fiber optic cables which have 24 of the optical fibers are typically terminated in a double row configuration (e.g., two rows, with each of the rows having twelve fiber ends). Other fiber optic cables may be terminated in a configuration with three or more rows of fiber ends. In the single row configuration, the double row configuration, and other configurations, a pair of the metal pins, with one of the metal pins at each end of the single, double, or multiple row configurations, aligns the two multi-fiber fiber optic connectors relative to each other.